All The Stars In The Sky
by PhoenixfromtheFlame
Summary: Banished from their homeworld over one thousand years ago, the Advent has finally reduced the TEC to a handful of colonies. Discovering element zero and the Mass Relays as new colonies are established, the Unity's attempts to understand the technology bring them into direct conflict with an alien race, and first contact is anything but peaceful.
1. First Contact War

DISLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN SINS OF A SOLAR EMPIRE OR MASS EFFECT

AN: So, here's something that I've been wanting to do for a while, hope anyone who reads this enjoys it.

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8000 BCE

Due to a mysterious force destroying both their colonies and fleets, the Vasari are forced to abandon their home galaxy after the destruction of their galaxy-wide empire. Consolidating their remaining population into an enormous fleet numbering ships in the tens of thousands, they embark on an exodus, gathering what supplies they can and leaving beacons in their wake. As they reach the edge of their galaxy, they are forced to make a disparate trip through the dark space between galaxies, hoping that their supplies will last until they can find new systems to harvest, and that their mysterious pursuer will be unable to follow.

700 CE

While sending envoys to all human colonies with an invitation to join the newly created Trade Order, a governmental system spanning hundreds of worlds, a single planet orbiting a red star is discovered. Long since cut off from all other human contact, the colony had long since abandoned moral and ethical restrictions, delving deep into restricted sciences banned from human worlds. The Trade Order comes together, and banishes their estranged brethren from Trader Space, exiling them from their desert homeworld.

1700 CE

The Trade Order, after millennia of peace and prosperity, comes under attack by a mysterious enemy. The outer colonies are ravaged as the Trade Order's meagre planetary defences and fleets are devastated. Colony after colony is lost as the Trade Order struggles to reach military parity with the invaders. Outmatched in both space and ground forces, millions of human lives are lost until military technology is brought up to a level that can contest the Vasari Fleet. After devastating defeats due to poor leadership and logistics, the Trade Order is abolished, and martial law put in place, creating the Trader Emergency Coalition.

The TEC begins to drive back the invaders, stalling them in some areas, while taking back other systems. With their vast economic infrastructure retooled to drive the human war machine, the war grinds to a stalemate. Until the return of the Advent, the exiled colony. With advanced technology matching that of the alien Vasari, and a vast fleet, the Advent ravage the unprotected colonies of the TEC, forcing conscription across the Coalition to provide enough forces to repel the exiles.

1730 CE

After thirty years of war, the casualties number in the billions, particularly from the TEC. Diplomatic talks between the Vasari and the Advent begin, and after months of negotiation, an alliance is created. The Vasari will be given a vast sum of resources, enough to supply the Exodus Fleet while it continues it's journey to find a haven, safe from the enemy that destroyed their empire. The Advent will receive the colonies of the TEC, free to create their own empire and to live in peace. Within two years, the TEC has been crushed, reduced to a handful of isolated colonies, including the Sol system and the homeworld of Earth.

The Advent rapidly begin the colonisation of as many planets as can be found, expanding the Unity to a size never before seen. An exchange of technology is made between the alien Fleet and the Advent, technologies including cloning, direct energy weapon, and psychic technology from the Unity, and phase, nanite and terraforming technology from the Vasari. The resources are handed over, and the Vasari Exodus Fleet departs, still running from the mysterious threat that still looms on the horizon.

1800 CE

Element Zero is discovered by the Advent, and experimentation with the substance brings new possibilities to the Unity. After discovering the possibilities for enhanced shielding and faster than light travel without the dependence on phase lanes, mass effect cores become standard for all Advent spaceships, alongside the standard antimatter generators. Expansion of the Unity continues, prompting the discovery of the Mass Relay system. Examination of the enormous structures begins, in the hopes of learning how to create new Relays.

1820 CE

Experiments with Element Zero leads to several explosions on the colony of Cheka, dispersing the substance into the atmosphere. A large number of children are conceived in the following years with tumours, which are treated in utero. A small percentage of the children are born with nodules of element zero throughout their bodies. Upon injection of the nanites now used to construct the cybernetic implants standard to all Advent citizens, the children suffer fatal seizures. Autopsies and tests reveal that Psitech and element zero are inherently incompatible.

2155 CE

Growing complacency amongst the Unity causes less resources to be dedicated to orbital defences around new colonies, although the Advent continues to increase the number of ships in it's fleets.

A research team studying a deactivated Mass Relay is attacked and destroyed by a Turian patrol fleet for the crime of interfering with dormant relays, a criminal offence since the Rachni wars. The colony of Cereth is attacked by the Turians, thinking that it is the homeworld of the aliens. Lacking the orbital defences that used to be standard for their colonies, the Advent world is quickly invaded by Turian ground forces, seeking to pacify and take control of the world as a new client race of the Hierarchy. The local militia is quickly routed by the invading Turian forces, and the civilian population is advised through the Unity to surrender rather than be forcefully enslaved. Thinking that the fight was over, the Turian forces begin peacekeeping duties in the colony, although the treatment of Advent citizens in some areas degrades over time, as the soldiers begin to take advantage of their power. Reprisals over citizens defending themselves are common, and the body count steadily rises as the occupation continues.

Meanwhile, the Advent war machine stirs to life. A huge construction effort occurs on all colonies, orbital defences erected, starbases built, and defensive fleets are posted at every colonised system. A war fleet is created to take back Cereth, while a larger invasion fleet is pulled together to move into Turian territory. Information gathered from Turian soldiers and dispersed into the Unity allows the best target to be picked for the first strike.

The first real battle of the war, above the garden world of Cereth, is close to a massacre. The Turian fleet is is caught off guard, outnumbered and outgunned by the Advent Fleet. The kinetic barriers of the Council species are able to block the plasma torpedoes favoured by the Advent, but laser pulse and beam weapons pass through them and strike directly at the ships. Ablative armour prevents it from becoming outright slaughter, the metal plating liquefying and deflecting incoming fire, but it only lasts so long.

Mass accelerated rounds and disruptor missiles are fired in return, but the shields of the Advent are far superior to anything based on mass effect technology, and only a handful of frigates are destroyed in the first volley. The sole dreadnought of the Turians fires it's main cannon as fast as it can, destroying frigates with every shot, along with the occasional cruiser. It draws enough attention to allow several frigates to escape, jumping to FTL speed to reach the nearest Mass Relay in an attempt to warn the Hierarchy. The remaining ships of the patrol fleet make a desperate decision, choosing to dishonour their culture, performing suicide attacks on the colony below, crashing their ships into the planets surface.

One and a half million Advent citizens die in the explosions, along with ten thousand Turian soldiers. The colony is destroyed, and the Unities rage increases. By the time the surviving Turian ships arrive to warn the Hierarchy, several colonies have been razed from orbit by Advent invasion fleets. Turian defenders are swept aside by the sleek, more advanced warships, and planetary assault lasers burn millions of sentients to ash, and sear the cities around them.

Several skirmishes occur as the Turians mobilise their fleets, and attempt to deal with the invaders. By the time the Asari and Salarians have been notified of the conflicts going on, full scale war is almost breaking out. A ceasefire is called for by the other two races of the Citadel Council, and envoys of the Unity are invited to the Citadel for peace talks. While some in the Unity feel as though the fighting should continue until victory is achieved, the leaders of the nine Coalescences rule that it is for the greater good of the Advent if they join diplomatic talks.

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Citadel Presidium, Council Chambers

It was a tense moment for the three Councillors. Selected by their respective governments to represent their power and authority over Council Space, Councillors Valern, Sparatus and Tevos. Currently, the Turian representative Sparatus and the Salarian representative Valern were being glared at by the Asari representative Tevos. After discovering the Turian patrol fleet taking justice into their own hands, with the full authorisation of the Hierarchy none the less, and attacked an alien colonisation.

And look where it had gotten them! Eleven turian colonies had been sterilised from orbit, unknown laser weaponry being used, a technology that the Council had thought impossible due to the extreme power requirements. With sixteen million civilian casualties alone, and three small fleets of thirty assorted corvettes, frigates and cruisers along with three dreadnoughts destroyed, the war had gone on long enough. The Salarians hadn't helped either, dispatching a dozen of their best STG agents to infiltrate the perceived threats, all of which had been killed immediately upon entering Advent space. They still hadn't worked out how they had been detected either.

"Councillor, sensors detect a single vessel, not matching anything we have on record approaching the Presidium. Scans indicate no weapons, but the shields are raised." A group of nine Spectres was assembled to protect the Councillors, consisting of Salarians and Asari. One of the Asari had a comlink directly to Citadel Defence Fleet, and was monitoring the approach of the Advent diplomats.

"Thank you, Udryn." Turning to face her fellow Councillors again, she fixed a stern look on her face, "You will both be polite, if you cannot, then you will not speak at all." She raised a hand to cut off any protests, "No, you and your superiors have done more than enough already. I have orders from Thessia to keep both of you in line, we don't want an intragalactic war to break out, we couldn't afford to protect colonies from the Terminus systems and the Advent at the same time." With one last glare, she turned back towards the door.

Tevos took a slow, deep breath and re-established her calm and warm mask. She needed to present the best possible face to the Advent diplomats. The Asari were the only Council race that the aliens had not had negative or positive contact with, and first impressions contributed a great deal to future relationships.

They waited several minutes as the envoys docked, and were guided to the embassies. The Presidium was deserted for the moment, all residents being barred from entering to prevent any incidents. An Asari guide led the envoys to the Council Chambers, and led them in, closing the doors behind them.

The Advent diplomats were dressed in white, long robes and hoods covering everything but their faces. The Councillors were surprised to see how similar they looked to the Asari, being identical except for their pale, almost white skin tone. It was eerie, and even the almost Matriarch age Tevos found herself lost for words for a moment.

"Welcome to the Citadel." She began, "I'm pleased that you accepted our invitation. I am Councillor Tevos, representative of the Asari Republics, to my left is Councillor Valern, representative of the

Salarian Union. And to my right is Councillor Sparatus, representative of the Turian Hierarchy."

Sparatus and Valern nodded as they were introduced, although the Turian barely restrained himself from glaring at the aliens. The envoys were arranged in a loosely spaced line side by side, and as one they bowed. From the middle of the line, one of them spoke, "Greetings Councillors, and thank you, for your warm welcome. We are the Coalescences of the Unity, each a representative of the nine Coalesces that constitute the Advent."

Valern spoke first, seeking information as always, "The Unity? Coalesces? Could you explain?"

The same being spoke again, although none of the Councillors were familiar enough with the species to be able to tell if it was male or female. "The Unity of the Advent is the collective mind of each and every member. We are all one within the Unity, shared minds, thoughts and emotions. What one of us feels, we all feel. A Coalesce is a particular region of Advent territory, of which each of us is a leader of sorts."

Tevos leaned forwards, fascinated, "A true psychic collective! We have encountered a race that shared a similar hive mind, a race called the Rachni." She grimaced, "Unfortunately, they were set on the genocide of all other races, and as a result, they had to be destroyed in order to save the sentient species of the galaxy." Shaking her head, she moved back on track, "Back to the reason why we invited you here."

Sparatus spoke for the first time in the meeting, "Yes, why don't we talk about the eleven million Turians, slaughtered by your warships! Not to mention the ships destroyed by your fleets while they defended our colonies!" With mandibles flaring, the Turian Councillor tried to calm himself down, feeling the anger radiating from Tevos.

A dark look crossed the faces of the Advent representatives, and the speaker stepped forwards. "Sixteen thousand in the local garrison died during the invasion. Two hundred and eighteen rapes. Three thousand nine hundred and five public beatings. Countless thefts, vandalism and destruction of property. Seven hundred executions. One and a half million killed when the ships in orbit crashed into the planet rather than lose the battle. This, is the result of Turian 'justice', for crimes that we had no knowledge of!" The speaker stepped forwards, cloak rippling around them.

Sparatus blustered, "For all we know, this could be a pack of lies! As you said, the colony was destroyed in the battle, how could you know the state of the colony during peaceful Turian occupation?"

In a move that startled the living daylights out of the Councillors and Spectres assembled, the Advent envoys spoke in perfect unison, "We are the Unity, one mind, one being. We felt their fear, their pain, their cries for help. And we answered."

The original speaker took up where the Unity had left off, "Understand, that you are not the superior species in this room."

Alerts began to sound from every omnitool in the room, and the Coalescences spoke in unison again.

"We are."

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So, tell me what you think please. And I think it goes without saying that this will not follow canon Mass Effect. Although, the TEC is still out there . . . . . . .


	2. Negotiation

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN MASS EFFECT OR SINS OF A SOLAR EMPIRE

AN: Sorry for the wait, there was a fair bit of fixing to do. This is the other half of the negotiations, and hopefully people like it. Now, for the next bunch of chapters, I'm going to be showing different aspects of the SOASE/ME universe, such as the different council races and their relationships with the Advent, the Terminus systems, the Geth, and particularly the Quarians. I have plans for the Quarians. Does anyone hate this idea?

Also, if you don't like how I described the Destiny Ascension, I'm sorry, but tough. In the game, everyone goes on and on about how awesome it is, and then it gets beaten up by the Geth pretty easily. There were probably extenuating circumstances, but still, we never get to see it do anything great, so I decided to expand on it's capabilities and make it all it's lived up to be.

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Thousands of kilometres from the Citadel, space rippled, disgorging dozens and then hundreds of Advent ships. Ranging from Disciple Vessels at eighty meters long, to hulking Radiance Battleships, bristling with weaponry and measuring at two kilometres long. With a dozen dreadnoughts of various classes, and three hundred corvettes, frigates and cruisers, the Advent fleet was still outnumbered, but not outgunned by the Citadel Defence Fleet, whose numbers had been heavily reinforced by the short war.

However, it was the last addition that truly shocked all who were monitoring the situation. Accompanied by a gargantuan shockwave that buffeted the ships gathered, a monstrous shape appeared behind the Advent fleet. Standing, relatively, vertical in space, the ship measured seven kilometres from the bottom to the top, with an enormous ring that added another three kilometres to its height. The ship was shaped like a coffin, becoming a narrow point at its base, with a head shaped command centre at the top. Glowing symbols decorated the ring, shifting and swirling in a script that none of the Citadel species could decipher.

The fleet steadied itself, and merely settled down to wait opposite the rapidly assembling CDF. Sensors swept the Advent ships, and although shields were raised, weapons weren't charged and no communications could be detected. The flagship of the CDF, the enormous Asari dreadnought _The_ _Destiny Ascension _was the last ship to reach it's place in the defensive formation. Upon reaching its position, the dreadnought rotated in space, laying vertical relative to the rest of the fleet.

Unlike most dreadnoughts, whose main guns ran through the entire ship, _The_ _Destiny Ascension's_ main gun was the top spire above the central docking station, containing not one but three mass accelerator cannons with a length of over nine hundred metres. _The_ _Destiny Ascension _had more fire-power than half the Asari fleet put together counting another, shorter mass accelerator cannon in the lower spire, over two hundred GARDIAN laser emplacements and small mass accelerator cannons in the side wings. It was a formidable vessel, captained by the battle-hardened Matriarch Lidanya with a crew of the most skilled Asari pilots, engineers, soldiers, and ship technicians available.

Aboard _The_ _Destiny Ascension_

"Captain, orders?" None of the Asari serving aboard the Asari capital ship had ever seen anything like the fleet assembled before them, particularly the enormous ship settling in its midst, even though some of them had fought in the Krogan Rebellions.

Matriarch Lidanya replied in a calm voice, "We do what we've been trained, and wait for orders. If they fire, we return fire." She turned, and repeated the orders into the ship wide comlink, ordering the crew to calm down and move to battle stations.

Quickly compiling a data file on the various ships that were shown on the sensors, particularly the behemoth ship that had arrived last, she sent it off to Councillor Tevos, knowing that the Council would be interested in the details.

Citadel Presidium, Council Chambers

"This is an outrage! Remove your ships from Citadel space at once, or they'll be fired upon!" Sparatus was raging, struggling to contain himself. After checking the alerts that had sounded on their omnitools, the Councillors had all received the reports of the fleet now waiting a, relatively, short distance away from the Citadel.

Tevos hurriedly intervened, worried that her counterparts rashness would start something they'd all regret, "Councillor, restrain yourself!" Hearing him take a deep breath, she turned back to the Advent envoys, who hadn't moved, even while Sparatus was yelling at them. "Please, explain your actions."

The Advent speaker stepped forwards, "This is a demonstration, of both our capabilities and our willingness to bring this war to an end, whatever the cost. The Unity has already seen too much war and death, and it's best that this ends here. If we are unable to negotiate a peace treaty, our ships will obliterate your fleet, and destroy this station."

Councillor Tevos nodded quickly, nervously swallowing "Before your arrival, the Council discussed a number of reparations that would be offered to the Advent alongside a peace treaty. We are willing to offer a portion of space known as the Skyllian Verge to be colonised by the Advent."

Sparatus was scowling, clearly unhappy with the offer, while Valern didn't look too pleased either. The Skyllian Verge was an area of interest to all of the Council races, containing a higher than average number of garden worlds, as well as large clusters of mineral-rich asteroids. It had been a long argument, but Tevos had been correct in saying that the Council would have to take the high ground, or risk losing a significant portion of their reputation. The Advent had been attacked, unprovoked, and the crimes committed whilst their colony had been under Turian control would have to be accounted for.

There would be some complaints and protests amongst the associate races, but Tevos would ensure that she personally went and explained to each of their ambassadors. Some compensation might even have to be offered, but she was sure that it would all work out in the end, especially with the advanced technology the Unity had to offer.

Valern took over, "However, now comes the issue of the Advent joining the Council as an associate race."

The Advent representative looked slightly surprised, "You're offering for us to join the Citadel races? Why?"

Tevos seized the initiative, "Any space-faring race that has faster than light capabilities is welcomed and encouraged to join the Citadel races. It encourages economic and military cooperation, and allows the general stability of the galaxy to be maintained." She felt anxiety thrum through her body, "However, there are some conditions."

The diplomats considered it for a second, "What are the conditions?"

Sparatus answered their question, "The only parts that of the Citadel Conventions that will matter to you are that all weapons of mass destruction must be dismantled, and the Treaty of Farixen. The Treaty declares that all associate races must maintain the ratio of one dreadnought to every three owned by the Asari and the Salarians or every five owned by the Turians."

The response was immediate, "Unacceptable, we decline."

Even Tevos was surprised, although Sparatus spoke before her, "Either you agree to reduce your fleet, or we do it for you!" The venom in his flanged voice was unmistakable to everyone in the room.

One of the other envoys stepped forwards and spoke individually, for the first time in the entire meeting, "The fleets of your three races combined would be no match for ours, in numbers or fire-power. The entirety of the Unity is prepared to wage war against you if we decide that you are a threat to our way of life. I suggest, that you consider your words more carefully."

Tevos was on the verge of panicking, although she strove to keep it off her face. If Sparatus kept this up, the war would resume, and it was looking less and less likely that the Council races would emerge victorious. It was time for drastic methods.

"I propose an alliance."

Every being in the room turned to face the Asari Councillor, who stared each and everyone of them in the eye before she continued, "None of us want a war, and the Treaty of Farixen was originally implemented to limit the number of dreadnoughts for younger races, meaning that it is difficult to apply here. Military cooperation, economic growth and technology trade through an would greatly benefit us all, and an alliance could give the benefits but not the restrictions of the Farixen Treaty."

Sparatus and Valern were shocked, but kept silent, much to Tevos' gratitude. The Turian had already done more than enough in this meeting, and she'd be having words with him later. Although it pained her, the Advent was already beyond any of the Council races. They would lose face with the rest of the associate races, for the perceived weakness, but she knew that this was the only alternative to full scale war.

After several minutes communion with the Unity, the Advent representatives turn to face the Councillors. Once again speaking in unison, voicing the collective choice of the billions of sentients who composed the psychic consciousness.

"We accept."

2155 CE

Although not bound by the Treaty of Farixen, the Unity, more specifically the Ast Eternal Coalescence agrees to limit production of dreadnought class vessels to maintain their current number rather than expanding their military. This restriction also applied to the Titan class vessels. This is the one stipulation of the alliance that the Council was able to demand, with another clause stating that military aid will be given if one faction is attacked by a third party. The Advent is given an embassy on the Citadel, and is told to choose an ambassador to represent them to the Council.

The Advent Coalesces and Citadel Councillors debate over the terms of the alliance for several days. The Turians wanted control of the Advent military to be handed over to the Council, stating that the Unity has too much military power for a sovereign nation. The Salarians desired samples of Advent technology, wary of such a large technological gap between them. The Asari wished to open trade relations, willing to wait until the Advent are willing to part with their technology freely.

The Unity refuses to cede their military or their technology, stating that they are willing to assist in military ventures if it coincides with their interests. Although interested in personal shields and small arms used by the Citadel races, the Advent refuse to share their technological prowess, citing that it wouldn't function for any other race, being entirely based on Psitech and their psychic abilities. Black market bounties for Advent technology quickly grow, and though samples are seized by pirate forces to be sold, all Advent ships are equipped with tamper-proof self-destruct devices, and it becomes a rare occurrence for any samples of technology to be captured intact.

Experiments on what few devices are recovered lead to nothing, even by the top scientists of the Salarian STG. They are unable to activate the devices, and dismantling them reveals that the mechanisms of the devices are constructed in crystal, leaving researchers baffled.

The expected economic surge is slow to come, and much smaller than expected. Advent culture is insular to an extreme, causing many colonies to ban alien visitors, while others provide the bare minimum to cater for off world visitors. With only a dozen Advent colonies welcoming alien visitors, the expected tourist boom is significantly smaller than expected.

Despite this, the Advent and majority of the Council races manage to coexist quite peacefully for a number of months, until colonisation of the Skyllian Verge begins.

Relations with the Batarians quickly deteriorate, as the four-eyed humanoids had the greatest interest in colonising the Skyllian Verge, as it bordered alongside their own territory. The Batarian Hegemony privately funds slavers and pirate bands to harass the quickly growing number of Advent colonies in the Verge, but are easily repulsed by orbital defences.

Growing tension between the two species, and an unwillingness by the Council to intervene leads to the Batarians closing their embassy on the Citadel, and withdrawing from Council space. The small skirmishes between the Advent and the Batarians quickly escalates into another war.

Attempts by the Council to reign in the Advent fail, and Batarian pirate bases and colonies are devastated. After pushing back Batarian territory by several dozen colonies, the Advent retreat back into their own space, knowing that leaving the worlds to be recolonised by the Batarians will divert the four eyed species, and prevent them from dedicating their resources towards war again. The Unity reassigns hundreds of military vessels to patrol it's borders, preventing pirate and slaver assaults on it colonies by the vengeful Batarians.

The Council is secretly satisfied by the result, with the Batarians losing a great deal of influence, the rest of the Terminus systems remaining uninvolved in the conflict, and a new barrier established between the rogue colonies and Council space. The success is only hampered by the almost complete lack of trade between the Advent and the Council races.

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Alrighty, here's something important, particularly for the next chapter

Ast Eternal – Fleet Coalescence

Cult of Cerebri – Special Forces Coalescence

Hand of Illus – 'Pirate' Coalescence

Prophets of Zei – Scryers Coalescence

Psi Order Zealots – Ground Forces Coalescence

Raesaedia Sect – Police Sect

Rolus Solbare – Exploration, Colonisation and Resources Coalescence

Voice of Senar – Civilian Coalescence

Xon Precept – Diplomacy Coalescence

The nine sections of the Unity. Obviously some, like the Civilian and the Naval are much bigger sections, but these are what came to mind when I was thinking of the different factions. In later chapters, I'll go into detail about how these are separated within the Unity, because obviously you can't have the civilians connecting to the minds of the special forces. Despite being a giant telepathic civilisation, there's still privacy. Next chapter should explain it all, but feel free to pm me any questions, and I'll try to answer them.

Until next time

Phoenix


	3. Insurgency

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN SOASE OR MASS EFFECT

AN: Sorry about the wait, but I completely overhauled the plotline. I was originally going to use Saren as the puppet of Sovreign, who will play his normal role. But I have a new idea in mind, you all know them, but I hope you approve. I hoped to explain the Anima this chapter, but that will now be next chapter. Aaaaaand, yeah, I hope you enjoy this chapter.

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2157 BCE

The Advent ambassador is called before the Citadel Council in an emergency meeting. An Advent battle fleet has been reported moving around the Terminus Systems without authorisation.

The Unity is forced to admit that one of the nine Coalescences, the Hand of Illus, has gone rogue, and split from the Advent. During the Reclamation War, the Hand of Illus was a separate portion of the fleet, a group of corsairs and raiders who would attack TEC supply lines and colonies deep in enemy territory. After the war, they had retained their separate status rather than rejoin the main fleet.

The Advent confesses that the Hand of Illus had taken the entirety of its forces, and stolen a number of docked vessels from several colonies, commandeering the empty ships. Several dozen cruisers, five dreadnoughts and an Eradica Titan. Combined with the large number of frigates and corvettes, the Hand now had a sizable fleet at their disposal.

Attempts to prevent their escape were foiled, as they deployed a mine field behind them, forcing the pursuing ships to break off or risk being destroyed. The rogue coalescence then modified a significant portion of their implants to split from the Unity, in essence, creating their own miniature psychic collective.

The Council, the Turians in particular, attempt to lay sanctions on the Advent, but are forced to withdraw when the representative points out that all three of the Council races have rogue colonies in the Terminus Systems. Not only that, but the Black Talons and Eclipse are composed of Turians, Salarians and Asari respectively. Coupled with the fact that The Hand of Illus has yet to perform any criminal activities, unlike the other two mercenary bands, which have committed a large percentage of the crimes in both the Terminus Systems and Council space.

After a brief discussion on the capabilities and possible motives of the rogue Coalescence, the Advent representative is dismissed. Several Council Spectres are dispatched to monitor the rogue fleet, tasked with compiling a threat magnitude report for the Council when possible.

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**Omega**

Aria watched the writhing crowd beneath without really paying any mind to the mass of sweat slick skin, tight leather and armour below. All of her attention was focused on the goings on behind her.

"Nobody sees Aria without getting scanned, you're not going to be the first."

"You've got guts. Watch yourself, or I'll tear them out and strangle you with them."

The Pirate Queen smirked, she could almost smell Moklan's fear as the newcomer casually threatened him, but let the scan go on regardless. After hearing the expected "She's clean." Aria T'Loak turned around to face to intruder in her domain.

A female member of the Advent was standing before her, watching her carefully. The female was tall, around her own height, with the same general build, although a smaller bust Aria noted with a small hint of vindictive pleasure. Clad in metallic grey armour, with thick plates over most of her body and thinner flexible armour protected her joints. She wasn't wearing her helmet, and her bone white hair curled down to her shoulders. It was her eyes that drew the most attention though, with no discernible pupils, and only a barely perceptible milky blue circle that passed for her corneas. The effect was rather off putting, reminiscent of the eyes of a week old corpse.

Aria ignored the small shiver that travelled down her spine as those eyes stared unblinkingly at her, refusing to be cowed by the much younger being. She gracefully sat down, crossing one leg over the other and clasping hands together in her lap, nodding her head for the woman to sit down at the other end of the couch.

The newcomer spoke first, still watching the Asari with an unnerving intensity, "Aria T'Loak, Pirate Queen of Omega, most feared Asari in all of the Terminus Systems." She had a sly smirk on her face as she spoke, and Aria resisted the urge to smear her against the walls with an overpowered biotic field.

She retorted with a bored sounding, "Darlea, Supreme Commander of the Hand of Illus, what brings you to my station?"

Darlea smiled, acknowledging the surprisingly well informed greeting, "It's a well known fact, nothing goes on in the Terminus Systems without your approval, so we thought it would be best that we approach you first, rather than the other way around." Aria quirked a brow, waiting for her to continue.

"The Hand of Illus is going to be establishing ourselves in the Terminus Systems, and as this is your territory, we thought it polite to let you know." She smiled beatifically, and Aria narrowed her eyes slightly.

"And what if the Blood Pack, Eclipse or the Black Talons decide they don't want you cutting in on their territory?" She was carefully watching the Advent woman's reaction.

"I'm sure you've heard of our split from the Unity. Amongst the cruisers and frigates we brought with us, we also managed to capture an Eradica Titan. Rest assured, we have enough fire power to combat all three mercenary factions if needed." Aria gritted her teeth, knowing her statement was true.

The Hand of Illus might have been lacking the manpower needed to take any one of the three directly, but their 'naval' power could pose a significant threat to two of the three combined.

Aria waved a hand, feigning disinterest, "I want twenty percent of everything, there's a price to operating in my territory."

Darlea raised one eyebrow but continued smiling, "Five percent."

"This isn't up for negotiation. Twenty percent." Aria gave her a hard stare, "You might have some powerful ships, but I can and will make it very difficult for you to try and survive here." It would take a little bit of work, but given some time, her contacts could ensure that no one in the Terminus Systems would trade or supply the Hand. And it would be far too dangerous for them to try and gain the supplies from Council Space.

The Advent woman gave her a penetrating look, seemingly looking into the Asari's soul, and nodded, "Very well, twenty percent of our profits." Aria clenched one fist, out of sight, frustrated over the other female's lack of negative reaction. Darlea looked as if she had expected nothing less, despite her weak attempts to bargain with the Pirate Queen.

Aria gave her a triumphant smirk, "Pleasure doing business with you." Her face turned blank, and her eyes hardened, "Now get off my station."

Darlea stood, and gave her a mocking bow, smoothly leaving the booth, and walking out of the club. Aria looked at one of her guards, and gave him a nod, indicating for him to have the Advent woman watched. The Asari's mind was churning, dissecting the new situation and wondering how she could turn it to her advantage.

No matter what, she would come out on top.

As Darlea exited the club, one of her second in commands rose from her perch on the balcony ledge besides the entrance, joining her and quickly matching her pace.

Serena had been Fleet Commander of the Hand for over fifty years, and had seen plenty of combat against the TEC rebels and pirates alike. Darlea sometimes wondered if the decorated veteran detested serving under a much younger woman, but Serena never gave any indication of envy or resentment. The Hand of Illus was created for both ground and space combat, requiring both a Fleet and a Ground Forces Commander to allow the delegation of duties. It allowed Darlea to focus on the important tasks, knowing that one or both of her lieutenants were holding down the fort.

Serena blinked contentedly as they were joined by the presence of the shuttle's Anima. The small craft was waiting to take them back to the _Decisive Victory_, the Eradica Titan the Hand had 'stolen'. That was the story that was being fed to both the Council and the Terminus Systems anyway.

The truth was that this had been planned, ever since the Unity had joined the Council as an ally. Although after the Council had tried to use them as a buffer between their territory and the Batarians and the Terminus Systems, the relationship was tenuous at best. The Salarians, the Turians and the Asari were greedy, constantly seeking new technology and ships, hoping to increase their own power, and it was often the associate members of the Council that got the short end of the stick. One only had to look at the Krogan and the Quarians to learn that.

The Krogan had been uplifted by the Salarians to eradicate the Rachni during the insectoid's assault on the Council races. They'd been on the verge of extinction anyway, their planet ravaged by nuclear war decades before, and the Salarians had offered them advanced technology and a way to preserve their planet, if not revitalise it. But once the Krogan had exterminated the insectoid invaders, they had begun to breed rapidly, and had chosen aggressive conquest to gain the planets needed to hold their booming population. The Salarians and Turians had chosen to neuter their race to end the Krogan Rebellions, releasing the Genophage, a genetic modification that affected the entire race and rendered them almost completely infertile.

The Quarians had created the source of their own downfall, inadvertently. They had created a race of synthetics, the Geth, to assist them in physical labour, and in time, the neural network evolved to grant them sentience. The neural network connected every Geth platform in existence, and allowed them to share processing power between them, making them more intelligent as their numbers increased. The Geth rebelled, and waged war against their creators, destroying their colonies, and forcing the Quarians to flee into space in an enormous flotilla of ships, in a move reminiscent of the Advent and their own banishment.

Instead of helping the weakened Quarians, the Council had stripped them of their embassy, and refused to give aid or to assist them in the retaking of their homeworld, Rannoch. In the eyes of the Advent, this had been a terrible lapse of the duty the Council had to the associate species. For almost three hundred years, the Migrant fleet of the Quarians had been wandering the galaxy, in a fleet of more than fifty thousand vessels, one major accident away from going extinct.

It was completely unlike the circumstances in which the TEC had been treated after the war. The humans had been pushed back, and forcibly contained in their home system, the Sol colony, with a few nearby colonies allowed to exist. Any attempts to rebuild their fleets were sabotaged by Advent agents within the TEC government and military. The TEC would not be allowed to pose a threat to the Unity ever again.

While vengeance was sweet, the Unity would show the same amount of mercy they had been shown when ousted from their home colony. Instead of being expelled, the humans were contained, allowed to survive as a race while the Unity flourished.

There was no greater revenge than living well despite the best attempts of ones oppressors.

For now, Darlea had her orders, straight from the Coalesce of the Hand of Illus, who was in hiding on the recolonised Advent homeworld. The Hand was to seemingly rebel from the rest of the Unity, and begin a slow infiltration of the Terminus Systems. The easiest way to do that was to ally with the Pirate Queen, Aria T'Loak, and then, bit by bit, cut down her base, while whittling away at the other major mercenary forces.

In time, the Terminus Systems would belong to the Advent.

She sat down beside Serena inside the shuttle , giving the Anima the mental signal to leave the enormous space station. The _Decisive Victory _was only a short trip away, and from there, she could begin planning her next move.

Without a Temple of Communion to boost her telepathy, she'd be unable to communicate with the rest of the Unity. Completion of the starbase that would be used as headquarters by the Hand was the top priority.

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**Melrion, Dewa System**

With an almost silent hiss, the doors to the ships cargo bay slid open. An Asari quickly slid out before they closed again, making her way across the dock to hide behind a pile of silver crates. She peaked around the side, making sure that there wasn't anyone else in the room before standing and cautiously making her way to the door.

As she reached it, the door slid open, revealing another being standing before the Asari. The Advent woman spoke, warm golden eyes assessing the blue skinned female.

"Justicar Samara, please, come with me."

Samara didn't move, muscles tensing in preparation to run, fight, or both. She didn't have time for this, every minute spent here allowed her daughter's trail to grow colder.

The woman spoke again, "Please, it concerns your daughter."

Samara didn't hesitate to follow her this time.

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Sorry if my tenses are stuffed up, but I will try to fix it if I can

Enjoy

Phoenix


	4. Alliance

Discliamer: I do not own Sins of a Solar Empire or Mass Effect

AN: Sorry for the wait, kept changing my mind on what to have happen next. Was going to get to the Quarians, buuuuuuut had some new ideas. Building on the new major players for this story, hope you enjoy, let me know what you think.

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The door slid open silently, and Samara stepped into the room, suppressing her anxiety behind a blank mask. The Asari didn't know what Mirala had done, but she knew that it would break her heart just that tiniest bit more, make it that little bit easier to see her as the monster Morinth, and not her daughter.

She didn't know how much longer she could hold onto the illusion.

Seated at a bare desk, a white robed man gazed at her, cold blue eyes analysing her. He gestured to the seat in front of the desk, while the younger woman that had guided her from the shuttle moved to stand behind him.

"Justicar Samara, I've heard many things about you . . . . and your daughters."

Samara's back stiffened, knowing the implication but unable to understand how the Advent had gotten this information. Only the Council, the Justicars and those in the Monastery itself knew the truth, it was one of the most closely guarded secrets of the Asari!

Her voice was equally cold as she replied, "Why am I here?"

This time, it was the woman who spoke, "Four days ago, there was an incident involving an Asari." A small holographic screen shimmered into view on the desk. A familiar scene was displayed, a deceased young man, laying down in bed. Samara had found many such scenes when her daughter first escaped and had not learned how to cover her tracks properly, consumed by hunger and lust.

The woman continued, "Close examination of the body showed that his nervous system had been burned out. We began a search for the murderer, but another incident occurred." The screen expanded, and more images appeared.

Corpses, dozens of them.

Men, women, the old and the young. Samara stomach rebelled, and she tasted acid as the images continued, despite her centuries of experience with some of the worst the galaxy had to offer. Some had been left lying in the streets, while others were bruised and battered, having obviously fought against their attacker.

"Each of the victims was found with their nervous system burned out, and when Raesaedians were dispatched, they were torn to shreds by biotics and psionics."

Samara swallowed back bile, "Psionics?"

The man answered, "Psionic, or psychic abilities are the ability of the Advent to manifest and manipulate mental energy. Telekinesis, telepathy, empathy, pre and post cognition, remote viewing, psychometry. Other abilities have occasionally been displayed by members of the Unity, but they are exceedingly difficult to control and are quite rare."

The female continued on as he trailed off, "Telepathy and telekinesis are possessed by every member of the Unity, while about two thirds have some degree of empathy. Precognition is the rarest, followed by postcognition and psychometry, while remote viewing is fairly common, although not so much as empathy. Advent with those talents are recruited into the Prophets of Zei and the Raesaedia Sect respectively."

"Extensive psychic scans of the area have revealed that the attacker grew in psychic strength for every victim that was burned out. Needless to say, we were very confused, until we were contacted by the Prophets."

The blue skinned woman gave her a subtle look of doubt, "These prophets can actually see the future?" Such an idea was preposterous-

"Yes, as well as the past and the present. The Prophets have led the Unity without fail since their creation."

Samara sought clarification, "I thought the Advent was led by the Coalesces?"

The younger woman nodded, "We are, however, the advice given by the Prophets is very rarely rejected. Like in this case."

The man looked the Justicar directly in the eyes, "Justicar Samara, your daughter Morinth, born as Mirala, was identified and confirmed as the murderer of forty three Advent civilians of varying age and gender, as well as the murderer of sixteen Raesaedian Sect members. As both a Justicar and the mother of the murderer, we are requesting your aid in her capture, incarceration and or execution."

Samara bowed her head, "I will take full responsibility for the actions of my daughter. I will assist in with any and all resources at my disposal."

A grimace crossed her face, "We have never had a crime so severe, or one committed by an alien. The fact that you have being pursuing Morinth for over four hundred years means that you are most familiar with her habits and thought processes. We are hoping your aid will bring her to justice far quicker than we could on our own."

The man spoke up, "You will be assigned a ship and a crew. They will follow your orders until you have captured or killed the Asari known as Morinth. Your Justicar status will allow you to move freely through Asari space, and all of Advent space is open to you. We will aid you in any way possible to ensure the success of your mission. Councillor Tevos will likely back you against any interference in Citadel space, and if necessary we will do likewise."

He stood, and the atmosphere in the room grew heavy, until it was almost hard for the Asari to breathe, "Make no mistake Justicar, this abomination has violated all the Unity holds dear. We will not stop until she is brought to justice. If you betray us, you will join her."

Samara stood as well, a blue aura flaring into existence as her biotics responded to her emotions, "Morinth is my daughter, and my responsibility. I have hunted her for almost four hundred years, and I will not fail my duty now. I will offer my Oath in your service if that is what it will take to convince you."

He waved off before she fell on one knee, "It isn't necessary Justicar, I can feel that you are serious about your dedication. Our methods have failed in tracking her, and we are depending on your intimate knowledge of Morinth in tracking her down. The ship is merely to speed your progress and to hide your presence from the abomination, while the crew will provide you with back up and psionic support." He scowled, "We have no idea what powers she may have developed, Morinth's sudden development of psionic abilities is unlike anything we've ever seen. It took centuries of experimentation and evolution for the Advent to develop even basic psychic abilities, and she's managed the same in several days."

"Morinth has always displayed abilities that could be considered psychic in nature." Samara commented, finding herself with the full attention of both Advent, "She asserts her will on others, making them desire her, and they will follow her every command if unable to resist. On one occasion, she brainwashed an entire village into becoming her slaves to cover her escape." It went unmentioned that she'd had to eradicate the village in order to survive, another sin that weighed down her soul.

The two Advent looked at each other, communicating silently. Eventually, the man turned back to the Asari, "It appears she is, or rather, was telepathic, although many Advent struggle to assert any sort of control over another, let alone any large number of aliens. This could explain how she managed to kill so many without alerting the Unity. It's also possible she could have projected a jamming field of some kind to block out psionics. Unfortunately, we have no way of knowing unless we examine her. I will request several specialists to be added to your crew though, we can't continue to underestimate her."

The woman stepped around the desk, "If you'll follow me Justicar, I'll now show you to your ship. Good day Coalesce Nasara."

Samara blinked, realising the power the man before her held. As a Coalesce, he had to possess a great deal of personal and political power. His word was literally law in his domain, it was said that only one of the nine core Coalesces could override a decision of a colony Coalesce.

He could have had her imprisoned or killed for stowing away aboard the cargo vessel. And instead, she was being given a ship, and allies in her pursuit of her monstrous offspring, and while it grated on her to have her search 'taken over', she was rational enough to know that Morinth was beyond her abilities now.

She wasn't alone in her quest now, but it horrified her that that aid had come at the cost of dozens of lives. She clenched her fist to the point of pain at the thought of how many would die by her daughter's hand before they found her.

She would not rest until she had ended her progeny's rampage, once and for all.

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"Are you sure this is wise, Zeryn? She could turn on us at any time-" The colony Coalesce was cut off, as another figure materialised in the room.

Hazy and indistinct, the figure gave off an aura of gentle chiding. _The Prophets have spoken, the Justicar is completely focused on her daughters destruction. Our goals are one and the same. However, if that changes, you have my full authority to have her terminated, and we will pursue the Ardat-Yakshi without her aid._

The Coalesce bowed his head, not completely satisfied, but knowing it was out of his control, "One other thing, I think we will have to rethink the forces being deployed with her, I have new intel on the abomination . . ."

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Samara's guide suddenly stiffened as they reached the spaceport, eyes widening in apparent shock. "What's wrong?" She asked, reaching out a hand to rest of the younger woman's shoulder.

The Advent woman turned to face the Justicar, surprise still painted across her face, "The change of crew has been authorised. Originally, you were going to be assigned two squads of Zealots, however the Cult of Cerebri has deployed several . . . . . specialists to replace them."

Samara looked at her more seriously, "And, this is a bad thing?"

She was startled at the vehement response, "No! I'm just surprised, the Cult is our equivalent of the Spectres or the STG, most of their work is classified beyond even Colony Coalesces." She looked at Samara with an appraising eye and then sighed, "I wish I could tell you what to expect, but I don't know who will be assigned to the ship now."

They'd reached the docking bay doors, and they paused for a second. Samara looked at the guide, and realised she'd never even given her name. The Asari opened her mouth, but the Advent woman beat her to it, smiling in amusement at the alien, "My name is Shassal, and I'll also be your Liaison during this mission. I will acquire any resources you need, and will be your contact to the Unity. In your absence from the ship, I will be in command until you return."

Samara bowed her head, surprised, but satisfied. Although she was a Justicar, one of the most powerful and skilled warriors in all of Asari space, she had little experience commanding others, let alone a ship. It would be greatly helpful to have the aid of more experienced soldiers.

The doors slid open, and together, they walked into the dock.

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"SUPPRESSING FIRE! Jhahal, get your squad down here!" Hanrak screamed into his com unit, firing wildly with his machine gun. His shots flew wild, pinging against stone and steel, but it was enough to force the enemy to stay behind cover. Space rippled and flexed, and one of his men was blasted away, screeching as he hit the wall hard enough to crack his ribs. Another ripple, and his torso exploded as his ribcage tore outwards, showing Hanrak and the rest of his squad in blood and bone fragments.

There was a whistling noise as a missile flew over the Batarian slavers' heads. It collided with one of the enemy soldiers and detonated, vaporising armour and flesh. The other soldiers didn't even pause at the death of their comrade and rose up to return fire.

Bolts of plasma, beams of light and laser pulses rained down amongst the Batarians. Lasers cut through shields without pause, while plasma was barely stopped by the kinetic barriers, still melting the armour and roasting the flesh underneath.

Hanrak gritted his teeth as his men died in agony around him, still determinedly firing at the attackers. The bastards just wouldn't die!

They lacked personal shields, but they had sturdy armour, and their strange abilities allowed them to create rippling barriers, far stronger than any ordinary biotic barrier. For every one that fell, another one took it's place.

Finally, Jhahal and his squad, equipped with the new particle beam weapons rushed around the corner, firing wildly. The battle rapidly changed, with the invaders on the defensive for a change.

Until the whispers started. Kzarin fell to the ground, screaming as he tore out his own eyes. Half a dozen Batarians turned their guns on one another, until Jhahal was the last one standing. Chest heaving with rage, he scooped up a fallen particle beam rifle and brought it up to fire. A rippling wave tore the Batarian in half before he could even let off a shot, and the black armoured soldiers moved forwards, ignoring the corpses underfoot.

Their goal was the slave pens, and victory would come at any cost.

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_2162: Batarian pirate and slaver forces launch attacks against a dozen council worlds. Composing mainly of frigates with small numbers of cruisers, the raids are all successful to a degree never before seen, particularly in Council space. Orbital defences and small fleets are swept aside by particle beam weaponry alongside shields more like those of the Advent, seemingly immune to GARDIAN lasers and far stronger than standard barriers_.

_Thousands of slaves are taken before the pirates leave, fleeing back to Batarian space before larger, more heavily armed forces can arrive. Several pirate fleets attempt to attack Advent worlds, but are destroyed by the more powerful defences, although not without cost. Recognising the weapons, the Advent call an emergency meeting on the Citadel._

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"The Vasari?"

Emissary Charic, the official liaison to the Citadel Council waved his hand, causing a hologram to appear over the table between the four beings.

Bowed legged, much like the Quarians, the creature was dressed in flowing robes. Apart from it's legs, it's body was hidden from the neck down. With leathery brown skin, it's skull was flat at the front, and rose into a peak at the back. Vicious looking orange eyes were set above a series of vertical fleshy lines like that of an Elcor. It seemed fragile, but had an air of maliciousness about it.

"We've analysed the weapons used by the Batarians, and it appears that they're a less sophisticated version of the particle beam weaponry designed by the Vasari. Where they got this technology is still being investigated, the Vasari have long since left this region of space, most likely they've moved on to another galaxy." The Advent diplomat to the Council said. A thin man, he was one of the top ranked members of the Xon Precept, almost completely unremarkable except for his eyes, vivid green and lined with glowing circuits.

Valern frowned, "If what you say is true, then the Batarians now have a massive advantage over the Council in terms of weaponry. Their particle beams cut through our barriers faster than anything other than GARDIAN lasers, and they have many times the range needed for lasers to be effective."

"That is without taking into account their shields" Sparatus slammed a fist down on the table. "I lost three patrol groups and over fifteen thousand citizens to those slavers! We should have wiped them out decades ago!"

Tevos waved her counterpart down, turning to address the Advent representative, "While we are thankful for any information you can provide us about these new weapons and shields. That is not the real reason you were asked to come."

Charic gazed at them, the implants that had long replaced his real eyes noting everything about the Councillors, from body temperature to their heart rates. In his line of work, even the smallest change in body language could tell volumes about another being. While telepathy made that redundant, it was too risky to attempt to dip into the minds of three of the most influential beings in Council space. Should one of them detect his intrusion, a new war would begin, something that the Unity would take every chance to avoid, certainty of victory not withstanding, it would directly undermine their ultimate goal.

After a glance back at Sparatus, and then Valern, Tevos took a deep breath and forged on ahead, "The Citadel Council requests military assistance from the Unity of the Advent in our declaration of war against the Batarian Hegemony."

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Annnnnnd, that's all. Review, tell me what you want to see, what you don't want to see, what you think would be cool, what you liked, what you hated and I'll take it all under consideration.

Phoenix


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